Why people drink tomato juice on planes

pulse

May 16, 2017 8:40 AM

Professor Charles Spence, author of Gastrophysics, says cabin pressure makes it taste "more acidic and fresher," when at altitude.

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Have you ever noticed why tomato juice is such a popular drink on planes?There is a scientific reason behind it and it's all to do with the impact of cabin pressure on our senses. Fraunhofer Institute for Building PhysicsBusiness Insider spoke with Professor Charles Spence, Head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University and author of “Gastrophysics, The New Science of Eating,” about the subject.

He said: "You see them shooting off the trolley here there any everywhere and when you do these surveys you find that there are about a quarter of people who will order a tomato juice or Bloody Mary in the air and would never order it on the ground.

"If you give people tomato juice on the ground and on the air and say “well how does it taste different to you?” On the ground, it will tend to taste more earthy. Whereas up in the air people will often report that it taste a bit fresher a bit more acidic and is more liked as a result."

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